Computer virus.
Computer virus is malicious software that is program intentionally. It gets attached to files, replicates
itself and disturbs normal functioning of the computer system.
General characteristics of computer virus.
Some common characteristics of computer viruses are:
i)
They replicates itself
ii)
They infect files and disturbs to execute program
Symptoms when our computer affected with virus
We can know that our computers get affected with virus by looking at the following symptoms:
i)
Program takes long time to load
ii)
File sizes increases frequently
iii)
File names and dates get changed
iv)
Various prompt messages may be displayed
various types of computer virus
i)
Boot sector virus
e.g: Danish boot, disk killer
ii)
Program or file virus
e.g: Acid rain, Alien.298
iii)
Macro virus
e.g: DMV, Nuclear and word concept
iv)
Stealth virus
e.g: Frodo, Joshi
Boot sector virus
Boot sector virus infect the boot sector of the disk where, Mater Boot Recorder(MBR) is stored.
It modify MBR that prevents you from being able to boot or startup the computer.
e.g: Devel 941
Micro virus
A micro virus is a type of computer virus that infects software, document or template using word
process or spread sheet software.
e.g: DMV
Computer worm.
A computer worm is a type of virus that replicates itself, but does not alter any files on your machine. It
does not need to attach with other files like virus. However, worms can still cause havoc by multiplying
so many times that they take up all your computer's available memory or hard disk space.
Antivirus software
Antivirus software is used to prevent, detect, and remove malware, including computer viruses, worms,
and trojan horses. Some of the popular antivirus softwares are: Norton antivirus, McAfee.
Preventive measures to stop virus infiltration in your computer.
i) Do not use pirated software, always use genuine softwares
ii) Do not use external solid storage devices without scanning.
iii) Use good antivirus program
iv) Scan the mail or unknown files of internet before opening in your computer.
Trojan Horse
A program that appears desirable but actually contains something harmful.
Macro virus
virus infects document or template of word processing.